Michael Ray - The Artist / scam for money

This man has an alias of Michael Ray "The Artist" and goes from town to town across the country posting ads on craigslist to find potential talent to photograph. He claims he had something to do with casting for Transformers 2 and Bad Boys 2. Hence the name Michael Ray, like Michael Bay from Transformers. My run in with him was like any other young girl hoping to become a model. He ran an "audition" with the craigslist repliers in a penthouse at the Palms in Las Vegas where he mocked every person that came in after they left. "So fat. Never make it. What is she/he thinking". He ran his scam lie that I had something different and wanted to take my portfolio for 1800 dollars. Stupidly I signed a contract stating I pay a deposit and he would charge the rest after I made money from gigs. He took my pictures and never called me again. I paid money and he never gave me any pictures or contact again. Please don't fall into the same scam situation as me.

Comments

Hey Trisha he has done the same thing to me in California, this guy is a pro swindler, took me for the same amount $1500 took my pictures and then I never heard from him again. Please email me back on this page and give me your number so we can go after him together, because there is strength in numbers. Also, I guarantee there are alot more of us who have been scammed by this ### so if we all stand up together we will have a chance to get him.

Just saw him at the Hyatt in Mission Bay with an assistant in a suit named Philip. They cited various movies that he's worked on, Tombstone, Transformers 2, and apparently upcoming Ghost Busters 3. No money was mentioned so I walked away thinking it was legit, but after much internet research I'm not sure. He was using the name Michael/Miguel Giovannii, and the site referenced on his business card is michaelgiovannii.com, which is gone right now. It seems strange that there are so many variations of his name on the cached site pages, Michael/Miguel GioVannii/Giovanni, and that the site was built with a trial of iBuilt. Also, the 3 addresses given for his business don't appear to be anything referencing him on Google Maps, and I can't find his name anywhere other than here. Also funny that the number listed for the Santa Monica office is Philip's cell phone and the number for the SF office is Michael's. Crazy. On a side note, the Hyatt Mission Bay is a beautiful place to hang out!

There's no false alarm. I've met several people and read my comments here all saying he has tricked them into giving him money, writes a fake contract, does a photoshoot(on mine he didn't even use film. He opened the back of the camera on accident exposing film saying it was ok.) And then never giving the said pictures to the clients who payed. Everything not_to_sure said is true. When I met him he had an assistant named philip who was about 19 and gave me his email wanting to hang out and said not to tell Michael cause they were dating. I didn't meet with him. Fast forward to a few months after my "photoshoot" still no contact and when I asked Michael about the people I've met that said he scammed them he claimed they were ex boyfriends scorned because he took away their motorcycles. It's funny how he goes to the same cities circulating the same few names and expects not to be hurt oneday. His portfolio he used to sell me had ripped out ads from magazines he claimed he shot which I researched some and the photographers were not him. He's not known anywhere by any known photographers or unions. I have an entertainment lawyer who is ready to put this case to trial which I told Michael before he turned off his fake website, cellphone and changed names. There is noone he ever took photos of and gave them to him. The only one claiming that would be Michael himself because he wants to have some positivity on this negative thread. My only intention of starting this thread was to warn other people of him. There's other threads on the internet. Find them they're not that hard when you type in his fake names.

Alright I keep getting messages from people and I'm not answering any of them back except on this comment board so everyone can see. If he has conned you again thinking he'll actually meet you again after reading your comment here, your mistaken. He's not that stupid. He's been doing this for 7 years, you say, and has done this trick over and over to get false hopes up. He promised me 2 more photoshoots and tried to string me along by telling me if I drove out to california he'd meet me. If by some chance he actually wants to put himself in the position to meet you again you do what you want. Get a picture at least to put online. Let's be smarter than this con artist. His tricks are old.

Also, he told me about the boyfriend scorned thread before I ever made this thread. Pyro_goth69@hotmail.com was Philips email. Michael also had two other assistants he had with him;a girl and a guy he found off modelmayhem.com. He also had a puppy he was trying to sell for extra cash to the hopefuls at his unprofessional "audition" in a penthouse. This isn't normal! Please ask to see references and research work any photographer/agency has actually done before giving him money. This man we all know is a fake and I expect especially on the internet for him to be messaging me as a fake equal looking for information on my legal actions. You did this to yourself Michael Ray/ Giovanni...

OMFG I knew there was more people not this many...something must be done he took me for almost a grand and acted like he was so great. He does seem trustworthy at first but i cant believe how long he has been doing this and getting away with it... he was michael giovanni when i met him and his gay friend phillip was there too...Id like to see them again in person because i would break both of their ugly faces...if anyone knows hoe to reach him or his website or anything at all please send it to my email i can do something about it if we find him!!!

Not sure if anything ever came of these complaints, but this same exact scam happened to me by the SCAM ARTIST Michael Ray. Same story, met in the lobby of the Grand hotel in AZ... Told me that he wanted me to model for his "connections" modeling division, and ultimately took me for $1000. If he is still at the same scam, I would love to go after him with a lawsuit and let him finally get what he deserves. Please message me if you have any info about the current situation of this crook and how we can sue the s#*! out of him.

God damn... well i can say i was truly as stupid as the rest of you. Except i Only lost 750$ +150$5 in telephone conversations. Its been a couple uears since it happened. Location Tucson, AZ... the pictures he did of me down ny 4th avenue area were awesome. Only thing is i never got my ###ing pictures ethier. Hence the 150$ more than my normal phone bill with sprint at the time calling to get them. Im not sure a lawsuit would get anything from him. But i would like to see him in jail for robbing me, and apparently so many others. Anyone with infprmation on how we might track him down do a citizens arrest should hit me up so we can slap him in the face with a class action lawsuit should hit me up at trent.findley@gmail.com

Haha he was using the gay card with you his fat bald ### was hitting on me too. I remeber the guy philip he approached me in eegee's telling me i should meet michael ray. Officialy met at a hotel on the corner of river and cambell. There was someone else there as well some tall well groomed guy with was black hair. You know i woudnt be suprised from the comments that others have left that he either lives in one of these three southern states. And not likey he lives in the towns he cons people in. Woudnt want to run in a fammiliar face later on would he. You guys should email me with details where you were targeted maybe we can get a geaneral area and post a notice on craigslist in a few areas see if we get a hit.

Today is September 5, 2012 and "Michael" is at the Town and Country in San Diego. His "new" cell number is 415-320-0890. If you do a reverse lookup on that phone number it lists the company as Giovannii Productions, 1033 6th Street, Apt. 310, Santa Monica, CA 90403. The California Secretary of State has the same address listed for the company's address along with the info of the officer being Michael G. Pina. I bet this is the guy scamming all of you and the one that tried to scam my son. However, his mom is one smart cookie with connections so... needless to say we didn't get scammed.

Today is September 5, 2012 and Michael is at the Town and Country in San Diego. His new cell number is 415-320-0890. If you do a reverse lookup on that phone number it lists the company as Giovannii Productions, 1033 6th Street, Apt. 310, Santa Monica, CA 90403. The California Secretary of State has the same address listed for the companys address along with the info of the officer being Michael G. Pina. I bet this is the guy scamming all of you and the one that tried to scam my son. However, his mom is one smart cookie with connections so... needless to say we didnt get scammed.